PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Evangelical Empire

In 1974, Jim and Tammy Bakker launched their television show, the PTL Club, from a former furniture store in Charlotte, North Carolina, with half a dozen friends. By 1987, they stood at the center of a ministry empire that included their own satellite network, a 2300-acre theme park visited by six million people a year, and millions of adoring fans.



When it all fell apart, after revelations of a sex scandal and massive financial mismanagement, America watched more than two years of federal i...